Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Inspired by Venice, once legendary gateway to the Orient with all its exotic spices, Baume du Doge is, not surprisingly, a piquant creation, bursting with the golden tang of saffron and cardamom, smoldering with the crimson fire of cloves.

It is - surprisingly- also a very earthy perfume. And yes, earthy is Duchaufour's forte, but, in my opinion, the raw quality of Baume du Doge surpasses anything else done by him so far. Saffron and, to a lesser degree, cardamom do have a very raw undertone in their spiciness, a dark, soil-like element that naturally contrasts the brightness of the spicy aromas. Nature is a gifted perfumer after all, and loves a good contrast. So really, the earthy aspect of Baume du Doge is only to be expected, especially if you take into account that the blend also includes the earthy-green-aniseedic fennel and earthy-balsamic myrrh. The latter, combined with sweet orange note in the top notes and vanilla in the base, lends a well-rounded, rich, opaque and creamy feeling to Baume de Doge, softens the sharpness of spices, tames the earthy element, bringing the fragrance to the almost-edible, patchouli-like territory and putting a finishing exotic touch on this understatedly oriental tapestry.

The restrained exoticism displayed by Baume du Doge is characteristic to Duchafour's art as is the indescribable, indefinable oddness of the composition. Strangely beautiful or beautifully strange, it has a haunting quality, something that makes you want to keep re-sniffing and analyzing and wondering. A thinking person's perfume.

19 Comments:

That photo is such a perfect match for this scent! I've got a decant of this I've been enjoying. Still deciding if I'll need a full bottle. I don't think of myself as a bottle person, but I am finding it hard to get past the shampoo/bath product feel of the EdI bottles. I usually get bottles over decants just so I have something easily recognizable to grab quickly in the mornings instead of rummaging through anonymous decants, but these have so little aesthetic appeal and are so characterless (very out of sync w/ EdI's interesting scents inside), I think I'd just ignore them and always pick something else. They get more attention in decants where the scent is not so rudely insulted by the bottle.

Chaya- I admire mr. duchaufour greatly. Alas, his scetns do not like me either , so you are not alone. you probally have a creamy, powdery or milky skin , that love amber, rose, orris, fruit top notes and other ingredients not found in abundance in his accords. We can appreciate his artistry form an intellectual level, but fragrance is emtoiton more powerful than intellect.great reveiw Marina.

What a fantastically chosen image to go with those beautifully chosen words. Because of this review, I want to smell this little Doge, but the notes scare me. Cloves, cardamom and saffron love my tongue but hate my skin...on husband, mind, it might well be a different story...hmmmmm (cue mental wheels turning)

M, so glad you reviewed this scent. I was gifted with a sample, immediately sought out a decant, and am now seriously contemplating a bottle. It's warm and earthy and calming and has become one of my go-to scents this winter. Love.

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